Systems and methods for authenticating and providing anti-counterfeiting features for important documents

ABSTRACT

A method for authenticating a document comprises obtaining the contents of a document, obtaining biometric characteristics from an individual, forming a message based on the contents of the document and the biometric characteristics of the individual, generating a digital signature based on the message and a key, and writing the digital signature to an Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag affixed to the document.

RELATED APPLICATIONS INFORMATION

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 12/135,822, filed on Jun. 9, 2008, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/942,600, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTHENTICATING AND PROVIDING ANTI-COUNTERFEITING FEATURES FOR IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS”, filed Jun. 7, 2007, which is incorporated herein in its entirety as if set forth in full.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. Technical Field

The embodiments described herein relate to document information leakage, authentication and anti-counterfeiting, and more particularly to the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to ensure that documents are authentic and cannot be copied without permission.

2. Related Art

There are several known techniques for ensuring the authenticity and preventing anti-counterfeiting of various documents. For example, special inks, holographs, special papers, etc., have been used to ensure that documents are authentic and cannot be counterfeited.

Digital signature schemes have also been developed in order to increase the security of important documents. A digital signature scheme is a type of asymmetric cryptography used to simulate the security properties of a signature in digital rather than written form. A digital signature scheme normally has two algorithms, one for signing, which involves the use of a secret or private key, and one for verifying the digital signature, which involves the use of a public key. It is the output of the signing algorithm using the private key that is referred to as the digital signature. Thus, digital signatures can be used to authenticate the associated input (i.e., message) to the signing algorithm. The message can be anything from an electronic document, an email, digitize-able characteristics of physical object or a physical contract or document.

A digital certificate can contain the sender's public key as well as other information. The digital certificate and digital signature can both be transmitted to a receiver so that the receiver can verify the signature using the sender's public key. In a conventional public key infrastructure, there is a Certificate Authority (CA) to issue, distribute, and authenticate digital certificates so that senders and receivers can rely on the CA.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods that allow for the authentication and anti-counterfeiting of important documents are described herein.

According to one aspect, A method for authenticating a document comprises obtaining the contents of a document, obtaining biometric characteristics from an individual, forming a message based on the contents of the document and the biometric characteristics of the individual, generating a digital signature based on the message and a key, and writing the digital signature to an Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag affixed to the document.

According to one aspect, a method for generating a digital certificate can comprise obtaining optical characteristics of a document, obtaining biometric characteristics from an individual, forming a message, generating a digital signature, writing the digital signature to an Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, locking the RFID tag, and verifying the digital signature.

According to another aspect, A method for controlling access to a document comprises obtaining the contents of a document, obtaining biometric characteristics from an individual, forming a message based on the contents of the document and the biometric characteristics of the individual, generating a digital signature based on the message and a key, determining a protection level for the document, writing the digital signature and the protection level into an RFID tag affixed to the document, reading the digital signature and the protection level out of the RFID tag, obtaining an individual's credentials, authenticating the digital signature using a key, authenticating the individual's credentials, and granting access to the document based on the protection level and the authentication of the credentials.

According to still another embodiment, a system for generating a digital certificate comprises a document containing information, and an RFID tag affixed to the document, the RFID tag configured to store a digital signature formed from the contents of the document and a key.

According to another embodiment, a system for generating a digital certificate comprises a document containing information, and an optical memory affixed to the document, the optical memory configured to store a digital signature formed from the contents of the document and a key, and an RFID tag affixed to the document, the RFID tag configured to store a key used to verify the signature.

These and other features, aspects, and embodiments are described below in the section entitled “Detailed Description.”

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, aspects, and embodiments are described in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a document according to one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing document authentication according to one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for anti-counterfeiting of a document according to one embodiment described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a document 100 the contents of which can be protected using the systems and methods described herein. Referring to FIG. 1, information can be stored on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) label 102 (also referred herein as an RFID tag) and can be used to authenticate the document 100.

A digital signature can be generated and can be written into an RFID tag, or a label that can be affixed to the document 100. The digital signature can then be read out and verified in order to provide authentication, anti-counterfeiting, and even privacy capabilities. The digital signature can be signed upon the message that can be based on a combination of the contents of the document, the optical characteristics of the document, biometric characteristics of the owner of the document, or a person transporting or handling the document, or a person wishing to read or copy the document.

The digital signature can be written into the RFID tag using e.g., a proprietary writing scheme or key exchange scheme and the RFID tag memory can be locked in order to prevent someone from altering the contents of the RFID memory. Further, the RFID tag can be a tamper-proof tag such that if the RFID tag is removed from the document, it will damage the RFID tag and prevent it from being read in the future. The systems and methods described herein can be used, e.g., on ID cards, passports, licenses, birth certificates, and other high valued certificates and documents.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing document authentication according to one embodiment described herein. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 1, in one embodiment, this method can, for instance, be used to authenticate document 100 using information that can be stored in RFID label 102. Additionally, certain optical characteristics of document 100 can be obtained and used as part of the message.

According to one embodiment, all of the text 104 of document 100 can be scanned and used as the message for generating the digital signature. In other embodiments, only certain letters within text 104 can be used in order to generate the message, for use in generating the digital signature. For example, the first letter of every line, the first word of every sentence, or certain strategically selected words or letters, e.g., that themselves form a secret word or message, can be extracted from text section 104 and used to form the message.

Alternatively, certain portions of text 104 can be printed in special inks and only the text printed in these special inks can be used to form the message for use to generating the digital signature. For example, invisible ink, e.g., only visible using an ultra violet light, can be used to print portions of text 104. This invisible portion of text 104 can be used to form the message. Alternatively, portions of text 104 can be printed in a graded pattern of security print and these portions of text 104 can be used to form the message used to generate the digital signature.

As illustrated in step 204, certain biometric information can also be obtained and used to form part of the message. Biometric information can include fingerprint information, face scan information, iris pattern or eye scan information, etc. The biometric information can be read by a reader and input into a computer along with the optical characteristics in order to generate the message. The biometric information can belong to, e.g., the author, or owner of document 100 or the person carrying document 100.

In step 206, the optical characteristics and biometric information can be turned into a message that can be used to generate the digital signature in step 208, e.g., using public/private key technology (i.e. signed by a private key). In step 210, the digital signature can be written into RFID label 102, e.g., using a proprietary writing scheme. As mentioned above, the memory of RFID label 102 can then be locked in order to prevent tampering with the data written in the RFID tag 102. Further, RFID tag 102, can itself, be a tamper-proof tag, such that if the tag is pulled off or physically tampered with, it will not be capable of being read in the future, the original document will be left with evidence of tampering.

In order to authenticate document 100, the digital signature can be read out of RFID label 102 in step 212, and verified, e.g., using public/private key technology. At the same time, the optical characteristics of document 104, and/or the biometric information obtained in step 204, can also be verified. In this manner, the authenticity of the document, as well as the identity of the author/owner or carrier can both be verified.

The key used to verify the digital signature in RFID tag 102 can be stored in, e.g., a special ink, security print, hologram, micro-print, optical memory, or bar code label, which can also be affixed to or included with the document 100. Thus, the user may need to be at a specific station, which can be configured to read the key in order to verify the signature contained in the RFID tag 102. The key for signature verification is the public key when the public/private key technology is used. One benefit to this method is that no CA or distribution system is required to issue or authenticate digital certificates (i.e. public keys) because a public key can be carried with the document itself in various means, for instance, but not limited to those described above.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for anti-counterfeiting of a document 100, according to one embodiment described herein. As with the method described with respect to FIG. 2, the method with respect to FIG. 3 can begin in step 302 by obtaining the optical characteristics of the document at issue. These optical characteristics can then be turned into a message in step 304, which can be used to form a digital signature in step 306. The digital signature can then be written into RFID label 102 in step 308. Additionally, a protection level can also be written into RFID label 102 in step 310. The protection level can indicate a level of access and specify who can access the document. For example, in one embodiment, the protection level can indicate a document status such as “read-only”, or “not read-only,” which can indicate whether the document can be copied. In other embodiments, a class of people can be given certain rights. For example, the protection level could indicate that the document can be read by the public but not copied, or copied by certain individuals (e.g., a supervisor, etc.), or multiple levels of protection based on the authentication used to make the document readable.

Reading or copying stations can then be equipped with special lighting features, e.g., in order to read various inks used to produce texts portion 104, an RFID reader in order to read label 102, and a biometric scanner, e.g., a fingerprint scanner, face scanner, iris scanner, etc., in order to verify the identity of a person using the reading or copying station. Thus, in step 312, if someone wishes to read or copy document 100 using the reading or copying station, the digital signature can be read out of tag 102 and verified. In step 314, the protection level can be read and in step 316, the individual's credentials, i.e., biometric information, can be read or scanned. In step 318, the station can authenticate the document, the individual, and the protection level before allowing the individual to proceed in step 320 where the operation (e.g. read message content) is granted.

For example, if the individual is trying to copy the document, then a copier can be configured to stay inactive until the authentications of step 318 are achieved. After successful authentication in step 318, the copier would turned on and the individual be allowed to make a copy. It should be noted, that the copier might need to be equipped with special lighting features in order to make certain portions of text 104 capable of being copied. Similarly, if the station is a reading station, then once the verifications of step 318 are carried out, the individual could be allowed to read the document which can comprise activating special lighting features in order to make text portion 104 visible.

Further methods for ensuring the authenticity of information or items are described in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/270,067, entitled “Systems and Methods for Tracking Containers,” filed Nov. 9, 2005, and incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full. Methods for using biometric information to ensure secure authentication of information are described in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/29,912, entitled “System and Method for Providing Secure Identification Solutions,” filed Apr. 17, 2006, which is also incorporated herein as if set forth in full.

While certain embodiments have been described above, it will be understood that the embodiments described are by way of example only. Accordingly, the systems and methods described herein should not be limited based on the described embodiments. Rather, the systems and methods described herein should only be limited in light of the claims that follow when taken in conjunction with the above description and accompanying drawings. 

What is claimed:
 1. A method for authenticating a document, comprising: obtaining the contents of a document; obtaining biometric characteristics from an individual; forming a message based on the contents of the document and the biometric characteristics of the individual; generating a digital signature based on the message and a key; and writing the digital signature to an Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag affixed to the document. 